Refrigerator odor absorbent



Patented June 18, 1940 2,204,910

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,204,910 REFRIGERATOR ODOR ABSORBENT Alfred Arthur Randolph, San Francisco, Calif.

No Drawing. Application September 30, 1938,

Serial No. 232,616

4 Claims. (Cl. 252-25) This invention relates to the removal of odors When. the material has become sufficiently from ice and mechanical refrigerators, and pardry so that it may be removed from the mold and ticularly to a product which, placed in a rehandled freely, it is ready for use. The molded frigerator, will absorb the odors of the foods block or brick is placed in the refrigerator, where 5 placed therein. it becomes active as soon as it is exposed to the 5 Among the objects of my invention are: To cold and odor-laden air. provide an odor absorbent which can be made A characteristic of the material of my invenof small dimensions so that it will not take up tion is that it reactivates itself when exposed to much of the valuable space therein; to provide air of ordinary room temperatures. Removed an absorbent which is in block or brick form, from the refrigerator for a period of a day or and is consequently easy and convenient to two, it loses all of the odors which it has prehandle; to provide an absorbent which is so eiiecviously absorbed, and is ready to be used again. tive as to permit pungent foods, such as fish, It is obvious that a convenient way of maincheese, or onions, to be placed in a refrigerator taining a refrigerator clear of all odors is the without danger of contaminating such other use of two such blocks alternately, one of the 1 foods as butter or milk; and to provide an abblocks being reactivated by exposure to the air sorbent which is self-purifying after use. at room temperature while the other is in the re- Other objects of my invention will be apparent frigerator. 'In this way the refrigerator may or will be specifically pointed out in the descripalways be maintained clean and fresh with a tion forming apart of this specification, but minimum of trouble. Upon occasion, however, 20 I do not limit myself to the embodiment of the I have found that a single block will keep a reinvention herein described, as various forms may frigerator or ordinary size sweet for a Week or be adopted within the scope of the claims. more without replacement, although it is obvi- The basis of my deodorant or absorbent is an ous that a block so used will require a longer absorptive earth, preferably infusorial or ditime for reactivation than one which has been 25 atomaceous earth. Of these two materials, (11- absorbing odors for a shorter period.

atomaceous earth is to be preferred, since it is I claim: lighter and more absorptive, but a satisfactory 1. A deodorant block comprising an absorbent product can be made of infusorial earth. earth and a binder of uncooked starch.

With the earth there is a binder comprising 2- A deod rant ri k mprising diatomaceous 30 uncooked starch, of which I have found the most earth and a binder of dried uncooked starch and satisfactory to be cornstarch. The exact pro- Wa e portions are not critical, but I have found a A deodorant block C0mD1iSiI1g nfusorial satisfactory amount. to be three per cent by earth and a binder of dried uncooked starch as weight of dry starch to ninety-seven per cent nd wate the p po t of s a h b n 4 mixture to make a dough or thick paste, and dry a e ia sthe mass is then formed into bricks or blocks by A e d ant l k onsis ing solely of an means of molds. air-dried uncooked molded mass of absorbent The product is permitted to dry naturally in earth and starch in approximately the propor- 40 the air. Moderate heatingby warm air will do tions ninety-seven per cent and three per cent,

no harm, but it is important that the material respectively.

be not baked so as to cook the starch, since this greatly decreases its absorbent powers. ALFREDARTHUR RANDOLPH. 

